Magnetic stripe reader assemblies are used in point of sale terminals, such as countertop or portable handheld devices that may be provided in retail establishments to transact payments for goods and services using credit, debit, or other payment cards. Such point of sale terminals are subject to attempts to obtain credit, debit, or other account data for improper purposes. Generally, the account data stored on the magnetic stripe of the card is unencrypted and is initially read in this unencrypted form by a magnetic head in the magnetic stripe reader. Thus, the head may be particularly subject to improper attempts to obtain account data. To counteract such attempts, the terminals, including the head, may be provided with security measures.